Saeed Ajmal could undergo hernia surgery

Pakistan's off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal suspects he has a hernia and needs to undergo surgery before the ODI series in Scotland in May.

"I have been going through this terrible stomach pain since we landed in South Africa in January. I recently consulted specialists and they say I could be having hernia which might require surgery," Ajmal told PTI on Thursday.

He said this was the reason he had not turned out for his native Faisalabad Wolves side in the ongoing National Super Eights T20 championship in Lahore.

"I have not been feeling well for a while now and obviously I can't enjoy my cricket. I am in low spirits. I will have another detailed examination next week to find out if I will require surgery but right now I am on medications," he said.

Ajmal, who has been Pakistan's leading bowler in all three formats of the game for the last two years, recently took 10 wickets in the second Test against South Africa at Capetown.

"It was disappointing we couldn't finish off the Test with a win," he said.

Ajmal said he would undergo surgery before the team leaves for Ireland and Scotland in late May to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June.

"I don't want to miss the Champions Trophy and we have a hectic schedule ahead of us this year, so it is imperative I am 100 per cent fit to carry the heavy workload," he said.

He said he would require around two weeks to recover from the surgery.

Ajmal, 35, said the specialists he had consulted told him that such suspected hernia problems were common in sportsmen and were brought on by a mixture of stress and heavy workloads.

"It only got worse in South Africa and I also started feeling pain in my groin that is when I realised it was something I needed to consult specialists about," he added.